Albion, California
by AvalonCelticQueen
Summary: Everyone knows wizards and druids don't exist, but ghosts and demons? Different story. And if Uther can't hunt magic in Albion, Camelot, he's going to hunt the supernatural in Albion, California. In which the Pendragons are hunters, Kilgarrah's an angel, and Merlin has something to hide. As per usual.
1. Machetes and Empty Colts

_**So, I've decided to try combine my two favourite things (Supernatural and Merlin) to create this fic. Basically, a Merlin AU in which the Pendragons are hunters, everyone's hiding something, and nothing is entirely as it seems. I hope you enjoy.**_

**Machetes and Empty Colts**

'You have a fine face for a hunter.' She smiled cruelly, cocking her head slightly as she looked down at him on the ground. Her tongue briefly flicked over her painted lips. 'I would do some wicked things to you. But I'm just so…hungry.'

With that, she bared her teeth and he watched in horror as a set of fangs descended from her gums. Then she was on top of him, fingers clawing at his clothes and her terrifying mouth nearing his skin as she prepared to feast. He was scrambling, attempting to force her back, yet she was strong, her fragile frame deceptive. All he was waiting for was the sharp bite on his neck, and the reassurance this would be over soon.

Then there was a spray of blood, and where there had been a vampire's head, there was a bloody stump and a pale hand clutching a ruby splattered machete.

'Morgana.'

The machete wielding woman grinned, her other hand on her slim waist. 'Well, Arthur, I'll add this to the list of times I've saved your ass.'

'You did not just save my ass,' he said grudgingly, as he picked himself up, wiping some of the vampire blood from his cheek as he did so.

'Oh, so you had all this planned out then? What was the next step: get turned? Or become some vampire's cheeseburger?'

'I've had the Colt in my pocket all this time. I could have handled it all.' Arthur snapped.

'Your magic little gun? This the same gun you used all the bloody ammo shooting some son-of-a-bitch demon with on the last job?' Morgana frowned, her eyes narrowed. 'All that one-of-a-kind ammo, may I just say?'

'Better than your little knife there.'

'The little knife that just saved your damn neck.' She shook her head, her dark locks swaying slightly. Just at the moment, they heard shouting from deep in the dark warehouse used as the vampires' nest. 'Come on, Pendragon, better find your father.'

It was only later, when the floor was littered with decapitated monsters, that they found Uther Pendragon. He was sat on one of the cardboard boxes that were strewn around the warehouse's main floor, running a cloth, already dripping with blood, slowly up and down his blade. He was old-fashioned in that respect. He hunted vampires with a sword. As he heard the footsteps of his son approaching, he looked up, meeting his eyes with a hard stare.

'Where have you been?' He asked softly. Arthur had been hunting with him long enough to mistake that tone with any form of tenderness, however: Uther was most dangerous when pretending not to be.

'I ran into trouble. One of the vamps was trying to run. I got her.' He ran a hand through his blond hair, tousling it slightly, and his father nodded approvingly at his story. Morgana rolled her eyes at his blatant lies as she stepped out from behind Arthur, though she expected nothing less from him.

At the roll of her eyes, Uther's glare fell on the dark haired woman. 'I knew you shouldn't have come, Morgana. You could have completely forfeited this job.'

'I was trying to do what was right.'

'You risked yourself unnecessarily. You could have been killed, or turned.' He stood, his walk aggressive as he approached her. 'What were you thinking?'

'I was thinking we needed to track these vamps, find their nest, stop them taking any other victims. And the best way to do that was to be bait. I fit their type perfectly. If I was Arthur, you'd have had no problem.'

'But you aren't Arthur.'

'No, I'm far too competent.' She smirked, her tone icy. Uther turned from her in anger, his hand twitching as he fought the urge to bring a leather glove clad hand around her face. His fury was distracted as he heard a further pair of footsteps behind him. Morgana raised her machete once more, Arthur reached for the gun in his pocket, despite its lack of bullets.

'Don't shoot. Please. Don't shoot. We aren't those things. We aren't armed. Don't kill us. Please.' A sobbing strained voice was followed by two figures edging cautiously out of the shadows.

'Stay where you are.' Uther stepped forward slowly, raising his blade slightly as he stepped towards the two people. 'Who are you?'

As they stepped into the dim light of the single low hanging, exposed bulb, Uther lowered his sword again. The first, a young man, was covered in blood. His shirt, that had once been white, was almost crimson with bloody splatters. More covered his blazer and, Arthur could imagine, the red scarf that hung around his neck. He must have been the speaker, because the woman beside him was visibly shaking. Mascara had run down her cheeks in terrified tears, and there was a trail of blood from her neck. They'd bitten her, then. Her tights were laddered, more blood dripping where nails had clawed at her flesh. Even now, she refused to meet any of the hunters' eyes, fear still coursing her veins. But neither of them had blood smeared around their mouths, and that was all that mattered.

The man spoke again, his voice slowly steadying. 'I'm…Merlin. This is my friend, Guinevere. Gwen.'

'What happened to you?' Morgana stepped forward, a tender look having replaced her ice-cold expression.

'We were just…in a bar. We were drugged. We woke up here, tied to some post. We've been here days.' He held out his wrists, raw from the binding of some form of rope. A quick glance at Gwen's showed the same chafing.

'They bit me. Drank me,' the woman whispered, her voice cracked, eyes not lifting from the floor. 'I thought I was in Hell.'

'Hell is a harder place than this.' Uther spat, before turning on his heel and almost marching from the warehouse floor. He cast a look back over his shoulder at the rest of the company stood still, and clicked his fingers once. Arthur shoved the empty gun back into his jacket and followed quickly, Morgana more sullenly. At a shared glance, Merlin and Gwen ran to catch up with the others.

'Wait. Who are you? What were those things?' Merlin fell into a walk as he caught up with Arthur. He seemed to be limping slightly, a trickle of blood slowing from the bottom of his jeans. 'What were you doing here? You can't just turn up holding weapons and decapitating people. You have to explain yourselves.'

Uther stopped suddenly at the dark haired man's words. 'What do you mean "decapitating" people? How did you know about that? How did you escape, anyway?'

'For God's sake, Uther, leave them be. They did escape, that's all that m…'

'Be quiet, Morgana,' Uther hissed, his pale eyes narrowed as he looked the two captives up and down once more. 'How did you escape?'

Shaking, Gwen reached behind her to pull a small penknife from the hem of her skirt. 'My father, he was a…mechanic. When my mother died, he told me to always be prepared, not to risk myself. I cut us loose when…you had distracted them.'

'The decapitation?'

'The creatures mentioned it. They said someone had decapitated one of their brothers. It must have been you guys.'

Uther frowned, and Arthur kicked a box beside him before slowly sitting on it, head in his hands. 'Shit. They were just sat here waiting for us. It was too easy to get in. We should have seen that. They were just waiting for us to show up. Shit. Shit. Shit.'

'I don't get it…you killed them all, right?' Merlin asked, his eyes suddenly wide. 'There aren't any left, right?'

Uther had left by this time, stormed out of the warehouse through the door they had kicked in earlier, daylight now streaming through to provide one of the only sources of light in the building. At Merlin's questions and panicked glances around the dark, Arthur glared, as if physically unable to keep the hate from his face. His eyes, so usually bright, had paled to almost his father's colour, as if to emphasise their unity in the disdain for the boy stood before him. He stood angrily, and followed his father's shadow out of the building, without any sound.

Gwen watched him leave, her body still trembling slightly. As he exited the building, however, she could feel her heart pounding in fear once again. He had a gun, she'd seen. Now he'd just left them. Where had he gone? Didn't he understand? They were defenceless. They could still be in danger, and he just didn't care. Her breathing was now erratic, fighting its way out of her throat, which she felt was closing in on itself. She sank to the box that the blond had previously been sat on, one hand on her chest to steady herself.

But who was this? Someone was sitting beside her, an arm sliding around her shoulders. The woman, of course, Gwen had forgotten her. She felt her withdraw her arm, and replace it with her leather jacket.

'You need it more than I do.' The woman smiled slightly. 'Your reaction is perfectly understandable. I've seen people react worse actually, trust me.'

'But, you aren't….'

'This is a regular day for me.' With that she cast her glance back up to Merlin, who was stood still looking around him anxiously. 'You can calm down, Merlin, we killed them all. We're hunters, this is what we do. You can trust us.'

He bit his lip, looking over to the door that Arthur and Uther had just left through. 'But him…?'

'Arthur's just a bit touchy. We lost a man.' She sighed, rubbing her head with one hand as she spoke. 'Lance. Lancelot, but he used to kill me for calling him that. He was a good hunter. A great man. He has saved Arthur's life more times than Arthur dares count. But, that isn't your fault. We had no idea the vamps knew we were coming.'

'Vamps?'

'Vampires. Didn't the whole blood-sucking give it away? Or the fangs?' Morgana asked, shaking her head at the blank reactions of the couple. 'Were you expecting long capes? Transylvanian accents? Tell me you weren't expecting them to glitter. I swear fiction does more bad than good, sometimes.' With that she stood, picking her blood coated machete up from beside her and began heading towards the exit. 'Come along, guys. You do not want to be left here, trust me.'


	2. Farewells and Introductions

_**If you're here, that suggests you liked the first chapter. Yay. Enjoy some more Merlin-Natural.**_

**Farewells and Introductions**

Arthur looked up as the three figures emerged from the warehouse, Morgana with her machete held over her shoulder, her pace as relaxed as though on a leisurely walk rather than having just finished a bloody job. At the sight of the civilians behind her, Uther scowled, slamming the boot of his Impala heavily. Arthur slipped his dark sunglasses on as he stood from leaning against the door.

'Do you have a car?' Uther asked, looking past Morgana to the two stood behind her. At their continued silence, he gritted his teeth and spoke again, 'Do either of you two own a car? I'm guessing you got to the vampires' bar somehow.'

'Erm…yeah, it must still be at the bar.' Merlin shook his head, and Uther nodded briefly.

'Right, well we'll take you there. Then you can pick up your car and go.'

Uther and Arthur turned to climb into the car. Morgana stayed stood beside the couple, a look of slight confusion on her pale face. 'Wait, what?'

'Morgana, don't do this.' Uther snarled, as he looked back to see her fold her arms in an act of unspoken protest. 'We are hunters, these people are not. We will take them to their car, and leave, like we always do.'

'And leave them to get killed,' she exclaimed, her peridot eyes shining angrily. 'You think I don't know how this goes?'

'You're just going to leave us?' Gwen lifted her eyes from the ground at this, her voice quiet in scarred shock. 'You can't just leave us.'

'My whole life is gone.' Merlin frowned, his dark hair falling across his face, casting further shadows around his tired eyes. Tired and red, Arthur noticed. It was only noticeable now they were outside in the daylight. Had he been crying? Even as he spoke, his voice seemed to wobble, as though threatening to break down. How had Arthur not noticed that before? Why was he noticing it now? 'I killed my boyfriend in that warehouse. We were in the bar together, we were both taken, but they took him, dripped their blood into his mouth. When he woke, he wasn't the man I knew. He was the one who attacked Gwen. He was left to keep guard of us when you attacked. He was the one I killed to escape. You cannot now tell me I have to just go back to my life with that blood on my hands.'

'You killed a vamp. That's not blood on your hands. That's a victory,' Uther scoffed. 'You should be proud.'

'I loved him. I don't see how killing someone you love can ever be called a victory. Even if they had become a monster,' Merlin snapped. 'You can let yourself think like that, if it helps you. But I don't even want to think about how many you've killed in your quest for 'victory'. You clearly don't know love…'

'Merlin.' Gwen reached out, placing a hand on his bloodied blazer sleeve, snapping him from his fury.

'Just get in the car. We will take you to the bar, then you can go,' the older hunter said, turning away from the young man with a disdainful glance.

* * *

Uther pulled up outside the bar, and with a wave of his hand, he ordered the two civilians out of the Impala without as much as a backwards glance. Barely able to contain herself around his disgusting attitude, Morgana followed the two to Merlin's rundown car. She looked back quickly before pressing a piece of crumpled paper into Gwen's hand.

'Don't read it now. It's our motel address,' she ordered, placing her other hand over Gwen's fingers, clenching it into a fist to keep hold of the paper. 'Uther will never change, he's paranoid, scared of everyone. But that does not mean we can just leave you both. He likes to pretend that the job is as simple as killing a few vampires, maybe losing a hunter or two in the mission, maybe discovering some new information. He's wrong. The job is so much more than that. Once you're exposed to our World, you can never forget it, or turn back. Is that what you two really want?'

'I lost my boyfriend to those things,' Merlin said slowly. 'I couldn't turn back now, not even if I wanted to.'

Her sparkling eyes passed to Gwen, who was still looking down at her hand clutching the paper. She bit her lip gently and nodded. 'I have no-one here. Nothing to stay for. Nothing that can keep me safe from these things like you can.'

Morgana nodded, taking her hand from Gwen's and slipping it into her jean pocket. 'I'm aware we never introduced ourselves. Morgana Gorlois. The blond jerk is Arthur Pendragon, his father is Uther. Whether you follow the paper or not, remember those names. You may need them.'

'Thank you.' Gwen looked up, but by then she was already gone, a cloud of dust settling once again where the black Impala had been only moments before.

* * *

'What were you saying to them, Morgana?' Uther asked, tone bland, as his eyes remained fixed on the road before him.

'I gave them my number, we may have missed something. It's easy enough to turn around and return.'

'More like they'll be phoning us every time they hear their floorboards creak. Why do you have to do this every time? You see a sob story and swoon.' Arthur turned around to look at the dark haired woman sprawled on the backseat.

'You mean I actually complete the job? I don't just swoop in, kill a couple vamps, and leave without a backwards glance. No better than one of the monsters we hunt.' Morgana rolled her eyes, running a slender hand through her long, raven curls. 'Well, some us of hunt. Some of us lie on the floor and get eaten.'

'Bitch.'

'Jerk.'

'Don't be such children,' Uther snapped. 'Arthur did a valiant job today, Morgana, you could do with showing him some respect. Both of us.'

'Needing your ass saved is awfully valiant, I suppose.' She smirked, before remembering the two they had just left. The way Gwen shook, the tears that Merlin had fought off so bravely. 'I don't see why we couldn't have brought them with us.'

'You know why, Morgana, they couldn't be trusted. We had only just met them.'

'We've followed other hunters for less than that.'

'They weren't hunters. They never could be.'

'They both escaped a vamps' nest with no help from us. Merlin killed his own boyfriend, knowing he couldn't save him once he'd been turned. That is not the sign of someone who is incapable. They could really help us,' Morgana protested, sitting forward in her determined speech. 'We lost Lance today, who will it be next? Ely? Percy? Maybe even one of us. We're a dying breed, we need all the help we can get.'

'I won't deny it would be good to have other hunters to use as bait. Especially the girl.' Uther shrugged, his tone warming as he thought about the potential of the couple. 'You know how unwilling I am to continue using you as bait, Morgana. We've had far too many close calls recently.'

'Yeah, and we ever run into a ghost who prefers weedy, gay men, we can use Merlin for bait.' Arthur laughed lowly, amusing himself with his own thoughts.

'You're a dick, Arthur,' Morgana scowled, sitting back once again. After a few moments of silence, she smirked wickedly. 'Besides, we could just use you.'

The road ahead of them was clear, the sun beginning to sink into the hillside, casting long shadows across the landscape. None of them noticed the headlights of the car behind them on the flat stretch of road, following intently.


	3. Turning the Tables

_**Thank you to everyone following this. I hope you're enjoying. Feel free to review, I appreciate all comments.**_

**Turning the Tables**

Merlin and Gwen sat silently in the car as they stared out of the front window, past the dying branches of the tree they had parked behind, towards the room that was written on the crumped paper in the girl's hand. They'd already been sat watching for an hour or so, enough to see the sun set behind them to be replaced by a low hanging moon. Bright neon lights lit up the cheap motel before them, providing more than enough light for the couple to watch the Pendragons enter a room, then Uther leave only fifteen minutes later. He still had not returned. There had been shouting after; loud enough to be heard in the car despite the distance, and Merlin had sworn he'd heard something smash. He'd been prepared to leap from the car to their defence, until he'd watched Morgana storm from the room to the sleazy bar next to the motel. She had not returned yet, either.

'I don't understand why we're sat here, Merlin. What are we waiting for?' Gwen asked, leaning back into the seat and sighing. 'Morgana gave us this address, why don't we just go in?'

'They've already refused us once, we can't risk that again,' Merlin answered, not shifting his gaze from the room. 'Besides, there's only Arthur in there. He definitely won't be impressed if we show up on his doorstep.'

'I'd much rather be with you than him, anyway,' Gwen said, before blushing as she realising what she said. 'I don't mean it like that. Just that you seem so much more…down to Earth. He was so arrogant. The way he was just leaning against that car, like some sort of model. You're so much more honest.'

Merlin turned slightly to look at her, a grin on his face. 'Do I sense a slight crush there, Gwen?'

'On you? No. No. What do you mean?

'I don't mean on me, Gwen.' He turned back to the room, smirking slightly, while she continued to blush. As he looked back at the motel, however, he felt his smile drop. 'Gwen. Gwen, we have a problem.'

* * *

Arthur sat on his motel bed, flicking through the TV channels furiously, swigging beer as he did so. He didn't know what time Morgana had left, nor did he care. How dare she question him? What was she, anyway? Some kid whose father had been a friend of Uther's. She shouldn't even be with them. How dare she think she was better than him? He'd had full control of the situation earlier, he didn't ask for her help. It hardly mattered anyway. She would come back later, begging for his forgiveness. When she realised how wrong she'd been. He smiled at that idea, then frowned as he realised his bottle was empty.

Sighing, he stood, flinging the remote on the bed as he walked to the table and grabbed another beer from the bag. Behind him, he heard the door and he smirked triumphantly as he opened the bottle.

'Well, Morgana, I knew you'd be back eventually. What do you have to say?'

A hand over his mouth, another grabbing his wrist, causing him to drop the bottle with a loud smash. A soft whisper into his ear. 'Not your little friend, pretty boy. Just someone here for a little payback.'

He bit down on the hand, hard enough to feel the blood in his mouth. He quickly spat it out and twisted his hand out of grip, taking advantage of the vampire's surprise. He recognised the vamp. He had been the head of the nest; Uther thought he'd been the father of the creatures, the one who'd turned them all. They'd all presumed him dead, killed in the earlier attack, though Arthur hadn't thought to make certain of that. He was regretting it now.

'Surprised how I found you, Pendragon? Once a vampire gets your scent, they have it for life.' He smiled cruelly as Arthur looked briefly around him for some sort of weapon. 'You really should have completed the job earlier. Though, you did a pretty thorough job really. Killing my whole family. Thought I should repay the favour, really.'

'Son of a bitch.'

'Tut tut, language.' He grabbed the front of Arthur's shirt and threw him onto the bed, before pouncing on top of him, straddling him. He kept slamming his fist into Arthur's face, dealing blow after blow until he stopped struggling beneath him. Blood streamed from his lip and nose, dazed eyes watching in horror as the vampire pulled a penknife from his pocket and cut into the blonde's exposed forearm. 'I should thank you for that bite earlier, boy. Makes this next part so much easier. See, I could just kill you. But this, this is so much more torture for both you and your daddy. Let's see if he can kill his own son, shall we?'

He was trying to fight, he really was. But his arms just wouldn't lift, and all he could do was stare as the vamp lowered his bloody palm, preparing to press it against the gash on Arthur's arm. He couldn't even speak to protest. Maybe he just needed to accept it. Maybe that would help.

Then a shower of blood. And a headless body fell on top of him, whilst its head bounced to the floor beside the bed. Arthur could hardly see, but he could swear the man holding the machete in front of him was the same one he had saved only earlier that day. Impossible. That was just impossible…

* * *

'And that was you? You killed him?'

Arthur awoke to bright lights, and buzzing noise. He tried to sit up, as if by base instinct, and felt a hand pushing him back down, a low voice whispering to him. He couldn't make it out, but he didn't recognise it. He closed his eyes, frowned hard, and opened them again. That wasn't Morgana beside his bed. Skin too dark, hair too short. It was the woman. Guinevere. Gwen. Why was she there? A flashback of blood, and a dark-haired man holding a ruby machete. Merlin? Was that who saved him?

At the sight of Arthur waking, Uther sat beside his bed in the motel room. 'Arthur? What happened?'

'A vamp. The head of the nest, I think. He got me. Beat me.' His voice was muffled to his ears, and he tasted blood in his mouth, His own, thankfully. 'Someone killed it.'

'Yes. It was Merlin.' Morgana was there, stood at the foot of the bed, arms folded , smirking. 'I told you both that we needed them.'

'Yes,' Uther said, face wrinkled slightly at admitting his own wrong. 'Though how did they know to be here, at all? That's what I want to know.'

'I gave them our motel address. I knew you were too stubborn to admit we might need them, so I took precautions.' Morgana rolled her eyes angrily. 'Lucky I did, really, or you'd be one son less.'

'Not now, Morgana.' He turned to Merlin, who was stood in the corner, looking at the floor, pretending it was not him being discussed by the hunters. 'Boy, why are you here? Why did you save Arthur?'

'Instinct.' Merlin shrugged. 'I told you earlier, I have nothing else now. That vamp may have turned my boyfriend, he deserved to be killed. And I had just as much right to do that as you did.'

Uther nodded, not so much approvingly as understanding. 'Well, Merlin, you saved my son's life. And while I question Morgana's actions, I cannot question that. And that means I stand in your debt. So I will give you a choice: you can leave, and I can guarantee we shall return should you require us, or you can stay and travel with us, and kill these creatures?'

'I'm not leaving.'

Arthur frowned, Morgana smiled, and Uther nodded once more. 'So be it, Merlin, but I hold no responsibility for anything that happens to you. You or Gwen.'

'Accepted.'


	4. The Nightmare Begins

**_I'm well aware these chapters are getting shorter. Hopefully though, they're still enjoyable. Thank you to everyone for following._**

**The Nightmare Begins**

The sun was only just rising over the treetops, casting an orange glow over their black silhouettes. Yet, the Pendragons had been awake for two hours already, stood amongst the trees in a wood on a highway. Gwen could no longer feel her fingers, the cold having bitten them for too long by now; barely able to keep hold of the gun she had been given. She'd never had a gun before. Her father may have given her a knife for self-defence, but he'd never trusted guns. Thought they were more trouble that they were worth. Though, now there she was, standing in a forest at dawn, with four people she barely knew, at shooting practice.

'Girl, are you concentrating?' She came back to herself as she heard Uther's call to her. 'Do you think this is some sort of game? Think silver bullets are that easy to come by? Think that a ghost will just stand there and let you shoot it?'

'I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry.' She fumbled with the gun, trying to get a better grip on it, accidentally pulling the trigger and firing at the ground as she did so.

'Son of a bitch.' Arthur jumped as the bullet hit the ground only inches from his foot.

'I can't work with this,' Uther snarled, turning on Morgana. 'This was your idea, Morgana, you sort this out. The girl has missed her past 5 shots now, and nearly shot Arthur. Merlin hasn't even been close to the target in the past hour.'

'It's cold. It's dark, and we're tired.' Merlin stood from the tree stump he'd been perched on, the gun beside his feet on the ground.

'You think that matters? You think anything out there will care if you're a bit cold, and it's early in the morning? And the dark? So, you can't hunt in the dark, is that it? You forget that most monsters will only hunt at night, when pathetic boys like you are hiding in their rooms with a night light waiting for their mommy to tuck them in.' Uther snapped, throwing his gun to the ground. 'I leave them to you, Arthur. You can train them.'

'Father…'

'No arguing, Arthur. You are the best hunter, they would do wise to follow you.' And with that, the older hunter left the clearing they stood in, storming away in the direction of the car at the roadside somewhere. As he walked away, Morgana noticed a worried glance pass between Merlin and Gwen.

'Just forget him. He does that.' Morgana shrugged, placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. 'He's just determined to hunt all these things, he hates anything that he thinks might slow him down. This includes pretty much everything; the law, friends, me and Arthur. Don't take it personally.'

'He was right to leave; we should never have brought you with us. You have no idea how to be hunters, either of you.' Arthur frowned.

'Have you forgotten that Merlin saved your life, Arthur? Or just casually ignoring it?'

'That doesn't mean he's a hunter. Killing a vamp is nothing compared to exorcising a demon, or fighting a ghost. And that's just the start. Do you think he could find a shapeshifter? Or a siren? He got lucky once. Father is right, they aren't hunters,' he said lowly, as if afraid he wouldn't be able to contain his frustration if he spoke any louder.

'Uther taught us, he can teach them too. Anyone can be a hunter, so long as they're determined, and want to learn. It's not a hereditary thing.'

'Yes, it is. Hunting is in your blood, or it isn't. There's no middle ground. It's not an amateur sport.'

'Hunting's not in your blood. The Pendragons weren't hunters until Uther.'

'What?' Merlin looked up at this, curiosity pulling him into the bickering. 'What do you mean the Pendragons aren't hunters?'

Arthur looked over at him, but merely rolled his eyes rather than making the biting remark he wanted to. Instead, it was the raven haired woman who replied, 'Uther was the first hunter in the Pendragon line. He wasn't brought up into this.'

'Then why? Why would you choose…this?' Gwen asked, holding up the gun as if to indicate her disapproval for the object. 'This life, why?'

'My mother died.' Arthur spoke after a moment or two of silence. He'd lost the previous anger in his voice, and it had been replaced by something softer. Almost vulnerable. Definitely more sombre. Merlin felt a sudden rush of sympathy for him as he spoke. 'A demon got her. Possessed her. Father didn't know anything about any of this; he had no idea what to do. The demon killed mom before he could do anything to help her. Then it vanished. No trace. Since then he's been determined to hunt these things, find what killed his wife.'

'I'm so sorry, Arthur,' Gwen whispered.

'He's been taking me from state to state since, hunting the damn thing. I was a child when she died, a few years old. He has no more clue how to find the damn thing now than he did then.'

'But what about…?' Merlin glanced over at Morgana as he spoke. 'What about you?'

She frowned momentarily, before laughing. 'I'm not a Pendragon. I'm not related to Arthur or Uther thankfully. My father was a friend of Uther; he was the hunter who taught him everything he knows. They worked together, actually, they were partners.'

'What happened to him….?'

'He died.' She stopped suddenly, silent.

Merlin opened his mouth to speak, not catching the warning glance he'd been sent by Arthur, and the shaking of Gwen's head. 'What happened? Was it a demon? Is that why you joined Uther?'

'I think we should leave now. You both clearly can't be taught anything else. You aren't focusing.' She turned, dropping her rifle on the ground and heading in the same direction Uther had left in only moments before.

She'd been out of sight only moments, having passed through the dark tree branches, before a thud was heard, as if something had fallen heavily. Arthur met Merlin's gaze momentarily, long enough for them both to realise they had the same idea, and ran after her, ignoring the branches tearing at them.

'Oh God.' Arthur dropped to his knees beside the collapsed body of Morgana, blood trickling down her forehead where she'd clearly hit something as she fell, damp leaves tangled in her dark locks. Merlin and Gwen just looked down at her, before glancing around cautiously, feeling their own heartbeats in their ears. The blonde man looked back to them as he held the woman's head in his lap carefully. 'Get Uther. GET MY FATHER.'


	5. Angels and Alcoholics

_**Hope you're all prepared to meet your favourite physician this chapter. Thank you everyone for following. **_

**Angels and Alcoholics**

His hands were slick with sweat as he gripped the steering wheel as tight as possible, trying to keep his focus on the road despite every fibre of his body wanting to turn to check on the unconscious woman on the backseat. He compromised with a quick check in the rear view mirror, hoping with bated breath for some sign of her recovery. But no, Morgana remained limp, her head on Gwen's lap one side of the seat, her feet on Merlin's. They were holding her cautiously, enough to make sure she was safe, but not hard enough to hurt her. Though, without understanding what had happened, none of them quite understand what to do. And that feeling, a feeling of hopelessness in a way, was killing Uther.

'We need to find the nearest hospital.' Arthur had pulled a map from beneath his seat, and was trying to scan it frantically. 'There might be one a few miles away…'

'We can't go to a hospital, Arthur. We don't have any ID for Merlin or Guinevere, and their pictures will no doubt be all over national TV by now.' Uther's pale eyes did not leave the road as he spoke, though they were full of fear rather than his usual fury. 'Besides, we don't know what has happened to her. We can't risk spreading anything amongst the public.'

'She isn't possessed or anything, is she?' Gwen asked, her voice shaking slightly. 'She'll be OK?'

Uther ignored her, his heart pounding enough without anyone speaking his innermost fears as well. 'We need Gaius, Arthur. Phone him, now. Tell him we're driving to his, and to prepare for us. If he's out, tell him to get the Hell back. We need him.'

* * *

'I hope you know I don't approve, Uther. It's the middle of the night. We might be friends, but that doesn't mean I appreciate you storming in here at…Hell, what happened to her?'

Gaius watched as Arthur carried the dark haired woman into the dark house, her skin paler than some of the ghosts he'd fought in the past. He pointed the blonde man in direction of the sofa in the centre of the back room, and followed him, kneeling beside Morgana's limp figure. He placed a hand lightly on her neck, checking for a pulse. He then moved his hand to her forehead, shaking his head as he did so. Uther watched worriedly as the old man raised himself from the floor and instead sat at the table in the middle of the room, a half-glass of whisky in front of him. A shaking hand took the glass, and raised it slowly to his lips, downing the liquid, the whole room just watching his actions. Unnerved, he motioned to the empty chairs around the table.

As he sat, Uther spoke, 'What's wrong with her, Gaius? Do you know? Will she be OK?'

'I don't know why you've brought her to me, Uther. There's nothing I can do for her.' Merlin sat opposite the old man, taking in his appearance with a frown. Uther seemed to pin all his hopes on this man, yet he was nothing to look at. Long, white hair, a heavily wrinkled face like a crumpled parchment piece, one eyebrow that seemed to be a constant frown. Was that what a hunter's life did to you? Not to mention Gaius' hand reaching for the whisky bottle once more already, tipping more of the honey liquor into his glass. 'It's nothing I've ever seen before. She isn't possessed, no supernatural disease I can see. She would do better to be at a hospital, rather than here.'

'I can't take her to a hospital, not with these two.' Uther glanced over at the two newest additions to the hunting team. Gaius looked over at them, looking at them properly for the first time.

'They got no ID?'

'No, and there'll no doubt be some search party out there for them somewhere.'

'Look, they can stay here. Get her to a hospital.' Gaius sighed. 'There is nothing supernatural here. She fell, she's concussed. This long, I'd say there's something seriously wrong with her. You need to get her there, now.'

'Gaius, you looked after me before. Can't you help her, too? You must know something. I know this isn't natural, there is something not right about this. Please.'

Arthur looked up, attention snared by the pleading in his father's voice, a pleading he'd never heard in his life before. Gaius caught Arthur's glance, noting the concern in his deep blue eyes and he sighed heavily. 'I'm going to need a bowl of water, and a towel. I also have a book in my study down the hall, heavy, leather bound. Fetch that. Also, someone get me another damn bottle of whisky, I might be here a while.'

* * *

It was early morning. Gaius was still knelt at Morgana's side, uttering some incantation he'd found in the book that Merlin had fetched for him. Uther was sat on the sofa beside Morgana's feet, another book in his hands as he flicked through it desperately. Arthur had left only minutes before, claiming he needed some food, yet Merlin knew by now he was heading to the nearest bar. Gwen sat curled on an old armchair by the window, sleeping fitfully, though whether that was worry or the cold room, it was impossible to tell. And Merlin had made sure of all this, made sure no-one was watching him, before he slipped out of the door and into the alleyway between the houses along the dark street.

He glanced around, pushing his hair back nervously, and he leant back against the dirty brick wall. Taking a deep breath, he looked skywards. 'OK, I know this probably won't work, but here goes. I pray to Kilgarrah, you annoying son of a bitch. Get your ass down here, right now.'

Silence. Complete silence. Then a faint flutter of wings, and a solemn voice. 'I'm here, Merlin.'

'Bloody Hell.' Merlin put a hand to his heart, as if to try calm himself from the sudden shock. He turned to see the suited man staring at him, dark hair slicked back, slight stubble around his thin lips. 'Is it impossible for you to just show up where I'm looking, and give me a bit of notice?'

'You prayed to me, I just answered you. I am an Angel, that's what happens.' He tilted his head slightly, as if confused at Merlin's anger. 'Why did you call me? And why are we meeting in an alley?'

'I couldn't call you in the house, I'm with some…people.'

'People?'

Merlin hesitated slightly before answering, 'Hunters. The Pendragons. They don't think I know anything about any of this. Oh, thanks for the warning about the vampires by the way, that advanced warning was so helpful.'

'I didn't tell you anything about vampires, Merlin, why are you thanking me?'

'It was sarcasm, Kilgarrah, you gave me no warning about those things. I didn't even know what the Hell they were. I thought there were only Angels and Demons, you told me nothing about anything else.' He was angry now, angrier than he'd allowed himself to be for a while. It only fuelled his fury that Kilgarrah didn't seem to care, even notice. 'Will got turned, Kilgarrah. Not killed. Turned. I killed him. Do you know what that feels like? Can you even imagine it?'

'Merlin, I'm sorry…'

'No, you aren't. You could have told me, warned me. You must know about these things.' He sighed, leaning against the wall once more, resisting the urge just to sink into a heap and weep in the alleyway, where none but the Angel could see. 'It's OK though, someone found me. The hunters. The Pendragons. They saved me, let me travel with them. They're the reason I've called you now.'

'The Pendragons?' The Angel's face paled slightly, a hint of worry in his voice.

'Yes. Uther, Arthur and Morgana, she's not a Pendragon though, just some family friend…'

'No, Merlin, you can't be with these people. You have to leave, now. They aren't safe.'

'And being on my own is safe? When you won't tell me anything?'

'Merlin, you are in danger. You cannot trust them. You cannot trust Morgana.' He stepped closer, placing his hands on Merlin's arms, looking him straight in the eyes. 'She is not safe, Merlin. You must leave.'

The boy frowned, brushing the Angel's hands from him lightly. 'You're wrong. She's been the most welcoming person, to both me and Gwen. She's a great hunter but she's also kind She's kept me safe, she isn't dangerous. How can you know this anyway? What have you been told about her?'

Kilgarrah looked away, the dark alley making it impossible for Merlin to see the pained look in his eyes. 'I can't tell you, Merlin.'

'Then why is she dangerous?''

'I can't tell you. Strict orders. To disobey is to Fall. But you need to know that while you are around her, you are in grave danger. That's all you need to know. Please act on this advice. Do not stay with the Pendragons. Put as many miles between you and the black-haired bitch as you possibly can.'

'Kilgarrah, I…'

But with a flutter, he was gone, empty space where he'd once been standing. The boy scowled, rubbing his forehead tiredly. He needed sleep. He needed all of this to be over. To go back to a time where his biggest worries had been feeding his fish and getting to work on time, not vampires and cryptic Angels.

Quietly, he pushed open the front door to Gaius' rundown house as he entered once more, expecting to find the scene he'd left. But bright lights and smiles met him, as Morgana was sat up on the sofa, Gwen holding her tightly. Behind her, Uther stood, his hand on her dark curls lightly. And as Morgana heard the door go, she looked over, meeting Merlin's eyes with a wide smile.

Though, he could swear he'd seen her peridot eyes flash black.


	6. Ties to the Past

_**Sorry for the delay, readers, I hope this chapter makes up for it. Enjoy.**_

**Ties to the Past**

The room was nearly silent, the only exception being the loud ticking of the ancient grandfather clock in a dusty corner. Morgana remained sat on the sofa, her face a clash between confusion and outright fear. Only Gwen sat beside her, clutching a glass of water tightly, as if she wished to comfort the raven-haired girl but resigned herself to holding the glass instead. The men were sat around the dining table instead; Gaius having drunk a further two glasses of whisky, Uther and Arthur exchanging nervous glances as the girl remained silent on the sofa. Merlin didn't look up from the scratched table surface, unable to shake the Angel's words from his mind.

It was only after a few moments that the silence was finally broken. 'But, it was five minutes. It could not have been longer than that.'

'Morgana, you were gone for hours. Nothing could waken you.' Gaius looked up from his glass, reaching for the bottle once more in an unconscious act. 'We tried everything. Nothing could stir you.'

'I collapsed in the woods. I woke here. But, I don't understand.'

'A Djinn?' Arthur asked his father. 'Some sort of sleep interference? Maybe a witch. Was there a hex bag?'

'Nothing hexed me,' Morgana exclaimed. 'This wasn't a Djinn, or a witch. I had a vision, I swear it.'

'Anything could make you dream, we've encountered monsters like that before. Gaius, you must have a text on it somewhere. Arthur, fetch my journal, we need to start hunting this thing before it moves.'

'This wasn't a monster.' Morgana stood, walking until she stood at the end of the table and slammed her palms down angrily. 'You need to listen to me. This was a vision. I saw someone die. I saw a house, and a baby. There was fire, a woman was killed and burnt. It was real, I saw it.'

'Morgana, you were dreaming. Your mother…'

'Yes, I know, she died in a house fire. But then, surely you should be investigating this? My mother died in a house fire when I was a baby, and now this vision of a woman burning with a baby? It must be related.'

'Morgana…'

'Uther.' Gaius looked over at him, eyebrow raised slightly higher than usual. 'She has a point. We at least owe an investigation. Freak electrical storms, crop failures; they can all show demonic presence. We could investigate.'

'We don't even know if there is a case here, never mind a demon.'

'To cause what killed Vivian, the monster would have to have been strong. Demons are one of the only creatures to have that amount of power. If we can prevent a death, then this is worth it, surely?'

Uther hesitated, sighing heavily as he thought. He knew Gaius was right, everything pointed in the direction of demonic presence when Vivian's death was concerned. Gorlois had thought so; he'd been desperate to track it down. He'd hunted that thing across the nation, travelling from state to state, in a desperate bid to kill the demon who'd murdered his wife. He met Uther on one of his hunts, they became friends, partners. He left his daughter to Uther in his death. Uther owed it to him to find this demon. And yet…

He glanced at the woman in front of him, dark curls framing her face, casting dark shadows over her pale skin. To acknowledge this case was to acknowledge Morgana's vision. Could he do that? He spent his life hunting monsters, were visions not the same thing? What if this was just the start?

'Gaius, we need to find the nearest library. Arthur, stay here with Merlin, look through Gaius' books, there must be something. Morgana, you need to stay here too. Rest, eat something, write down everything you think is relevant from this vision. Gwen will look after you.'

* * *

Daylight had crept into the room little over an hour ago, its rays slowly illuminating the darkest corners of the room. It hit the empty bottles scattered over the table, causing them to shine as if clean glassware. It warmed the air slightly, just enough for Arthur to shrug off his leather jacket and sit in only his dirty white t-shirt, clinging slightly to his toned arms…

Merlin looked back down hastily at the book in front of him. He did not need the blond man noticing his staring. The atmosphere was awkward enough, without any of those confusions as well. Just, the way the sunlight hit his hair, it almost looked like spun gold.

'Merlin, are you even paying attention to the reading? Don't you understand the importance of this?' Arthur barked, leaning forward slightly, as if to mirror his father's menacing look.

'Of course I do, Arthur, do I look a fool?'

'You really don't want the answer to that.' His lip curled slightly, amused at his own wit, as he continued to read the book on the table before him. After a moment or so, however, he sighed and looked up once more. 'Have you found anything?'

'Nothing. I'm sorry, Arthur.'

Arthur rubbed his forehead, with an expression that seemed both tired and frustrated. Uther and Gaius had left for the library early morning, after a slight rest, with the reasoning that by the time they reached the building over, it might have hit opening time. Morgana was still upstairs, asleep on the bed in Gaius' spare bedroom, more exhausted than Arthur had ever seen her. More so than when they'd trekked through dense woodland in hunt of a wendingo a few years ago. With great hesitation, Arthur had left Guinevere to look over her. He couldn't shake his doubt over her, though she clung to Morgana more a maidservant than a friend sometimes. And so, it was just him and Merlin downstairs, pouring over books and parchments, whose leathery textures suggesting they were made of something more than mere paper.

'Fine. Keep reading, there must be something here. There needs to be. Anything. About prophecy, or demons, or visions. Just keep reading.'

Another silence as both men looked back to the texts before them. Merlin felt himself frown; the air seemed almost too awkward for concentration to be possible. Swallowing slightly, he tried to speak casually. 'Hasn't this happened before?'

'Do you really think we would be sat reading these if this had already happened? If we knew how to deal with this, do you really think we would have driven for hours and sat beside Morgana's bedside all night?' The blonde man scowled, barely able to keep himself from snapping furiously.

'I was just wondering, that's all. How long have you known her? Could she have had an episode like this before you met her?'

'I've known her since a child. Since my father became a hunter, and he met Gorlois, Morgana's father. They would hunt together, leaving me and Morgana with Gaius, or another hunter. As we grew older, we trained together. She was always strong, a gifted shot, better than me with a blade.' He suddenly stopped, eyes darting to the stairs anxiously. 'Don't tell her I said that. Then again, saying that, she was soft. We would hunt some son of a bitch monster, and then she'd let it go because she'd "reasoned" with it.'

'When do you begin hunting?' Merlin had forgotten the text before him, focused entirely on Arthur.

'What is this? Twenty damn questions?' But Arthur's sharp words were only in jest it seemed, for he was fully focused on the dark haired boy opposite him. 'We began training as children. For my ninth birthday, my father gave me a single barrelled shotgun. But we didn't officially join him hunting until Gorlois died. I think she was 11.'

'That's young.'

That caused a dark look to pass across Arthur's face. 'What about you then? Let me guess, brought up in some suburban dream with a swing and white picket fence? A mom that would bake you pie every day to come home to? Go to a baseball game every week with your dad?'

'Brought up in Texas, small neighbourhood. Everyone knew everyone. Just me and my mom. I hit 21 and my mom requested I move out. For my own safety, she said, she couldn't stand it if anyone found out about me.' He paused, waiting for Arthur to question the secrecy, but he was met with only silence. 'I moved out, got a dead end job, found a cramped apartment, and lived there til those vamps found me.'

The blonde man nodded, the idea of asking about this boyfriend of his crossing his mind suddenly. He stayed quiet though. 'What about Gwen? When did you meet her?'

'In all honesty? When those vampire dicks took us. She was already there, they'd been bleeding her dry. For some bizarre reason, that sort of experience really can unite two people.'

Arthur glanced momentarily to the ceiling above them, where Morgana was sleeping under the watch of Gwen. He'd been less nervous about that concept when he thought she was a close friend of this boy sat with him. Merlin must have seen his look, because he sighed, clearly irritated.

'Jerk.'

'What the Hell do you mean by that?' His blue eyes flicked back to meet Merlin's fierce gaze. 'You lied. You said you were friends.'

'And we are. She saved my life. Not everyone is trying to kill you, you know. Don't be such an arrogant ass.'

He was going to hit him. He couldn't fight this any longer. Swing a punch at those sharp cheekbones. Might knock some proportion into his thick skull. Or, at least, encourage him to shake the damn stick out of his ass…

It was the sight of Arthur clutching Merlin's shirt, pinning him to the wall, which Uther and Gaius walked in to see.


	7. Helping Hands

_**I hope you're all sitting comfortable. Prepare to meet the Knights...**_

**Helping Hands**

'Arthur, get your bloody hand off him.' Gaius grabbed the blonde by the back of his shirt, pulling him off the smaller man with a frown. 'Don't you think we have enough damn problems without you two ripping into each other? Did you get anything done that you were supposed to?'

Arthur scowled, shaking the old man off him, his piercing blue eyes still directed at Merlin. After a moment or so, he turned to his father who still stood in the doorway. 'We couldn't find anything. There is nothing here about prophecies or visions that relate at all to demons.'

'I was relying on you, Arthur.'

'There is nothing here, nothing we could find, anyway.'

Uther frowned, yet remained silent, as if his son did not even deserve a reply. He stepped further into the room, letting the door slam heavily behind him. His face was sullen as he snatched a half-empty beer bottle from the table and took a lengthy swig. The bright daylight streaming from the window emphasised the deep lines on his face, illuminating heavy bags under his eyes that Arthur had never noticed before. Merlin caught the worried glance the blonde gave his father, though he seemed to be the only one in the room. Uther seemed unable to even look at his son, while Gaius already had shaking hands around a large bottle of honey coloured liquor.

'Did you find anything? Either of you? If we didn't, surely you must have found some folklore or myth?'

Uther's glare finally met Arthur's as the younger man spoke, and he felt himself soften slightly as he saw the concern on his son's face. 'We found nothing. Nothing in the books, on the internet, in the archives.'

'There is no connection between Morgana's vision and demonic presence. It just isn't possible. If there was, some hunter somewhere would have encountered it before. Yet there's no research, no notes, no evidence for anything. We need to get back out there and look for some other damn answer.' Gaius sat down slowly, reaching for one of the ancient books. At the feel of the three pairs of eyes on him in the room, he motioned to the other texts on the table. 'I'm not going to do all this damn reading myself, you idiots. Sit. Grab a book.'

'I think I might just…head out for a minute.' Merlin backed towards the door as the two Pendragons sat with the old man. As he heard no word of protest to his leaving, he reached behind him for the handle. 'I'll be right back.'

* * *

'I told you to leave the Pendragons, Merlin. They are dangerous.'

He rolled his eyes, pushing the black hair from his face with an exasperated gesture. He may have summoned the Angel, but that did not mean he could cope with another of these discussions. Not after so short a time since he'd last seen him. He'd never summoned the Angel twice in less than a day before, yet he stood before him now, awkward in his dark-suited vessel as a child might be in any formal clothing.

'I can't leave them, Kilgarrah. I don't have anywhere to go now. Not on my own.'

'But I'll be watching over you.'

He couldn't hold back a smile as the Angel said that, yet quickly wiped it from his face as he met Kilgarrah's dark-eyed gaze. 'I'm not having this discussion again, Kilgarrah. I'm not leaving the Pendragons, and I won't believe Morgana is this super villain. So, if you have nothing else of any use, get your ass back to Heaven or something.'

'You summoned me here, Merlin. That normally means you have something to ask me, or some task for me to complete for you. You only need to ask.' Kilgarrah was now looking at the ground, a slightly hurt pout on his face.

'Look, I'm sorry. I need you to tell me what to do though. What's happening to Morgana? Is it demonic?' He saw hesitation pass across the Angel's face and sighed. 'Look, whatever the thing is that's affecting her, if you tell us, we can get it. The Pendragons are hunters, they'll kill it. Then she won't be in any danger, she won't do anything.'

'I want to help you, Merlin, but I can't. Not like this.'

'Can't you do anything? You can't help me, you can't help Morgana. Can you help anyone? Can't you even just tell me if we're right? If this is demonic, we can stop this.' A crunch of car tyres. Merlin turned briefly to see a dented, blue jeep pull up outside Gaius' house, and when he looked back, he was alone once again in the alley. He kicked the wall angrily, ignoring the shooting pain as his toes connected with the rough brick and he stared skywards. 'Damn you, Kilgarrah, damn you.'

Merlin slouched out of the alley, his hands firmly in his pockets before thoughts of the Angel made him punch a wall. At the sight of the jeep, he considered ducking back into the shadow of the alley until he noticed the driver pointing at him anxiously. Before he quite understood what was happening, one of the passengers had leapt from the vehicle, and pinned him face against the wall, their hot breath against his ear.

'What are you doing here, boy? You spying? Has someone asked you to spy here? Are you even human?' He heard something soft, almost like something being pulled from a sheath, and then felt a sharp cut into his arm.

'What the…?'

'No effect from silver. Do you need me to test the Holy Water? Just answer the damn questions.'

'For God's sake, Gwaine, put the boy down.'

He didn't think he'd ever felt so grateful to hear Arthur's voice. Merlin felt the pressure on his arm instantly drop, and he turned, wiping the brick dust from his grazed face furiously. Yet his assailant had gone, and the jeep was now empty. Instead, five men stood lined up outside the door of the house, Arthur stood on the porch looking down at them, almost as if a Captain inspecting his soldiers. After a second or two, he relaxed, and embraced each of them with a loud laugh. Merlin frowned at the open betrayal of the blonde, after he'd just been attacked, presumably by one of these men. At the sound of his approaching footsteps, Arthur turned and gestured to the boy.

'Men, this is Merlin. He's a…friend. He's been travelling with us a while now, him and his friend. We found them in a vamp nest. Merlin, these are my Knights.'

'Your Knights?'

The Pendragon laughed again. 'It's an old joke. I don't know where it came from anymore. They're hunters. My father's called them in to help us, the more of us there are, the better chance we have of finding this son-of-a-bitch demon.'

The men laughed, while Merlin watched them with a still face. They didn't look like hunters. Not how the Pendragons did, anyway. The oldest of them was roughly in his mid-thirties, the youngest had to be younger than Merlin. The others seemed to range between twenty and thirty. They weren't exactly what Merlin would have called impressive. One of them, maybe. He was tall, perhaps a head taller than any of the other men, a shirt ripped to reveal powerful arms and strong shoulders. The other men all stood in t-shirts and sweaters, toned, but nothing compared to the men Merlin would imagine to be hunters.

He must have shown some form of disgust on his face, for one of the men smirked as his eyes passed over him. 'So, you see yourself as some sort of hunter as well then, Merlin? Hunting involves lurking down dark alleys in your mind?'

'You're Gwaine.'

'Yeah, and you need to learn a bit of self-defence, boy.' He spoke harshly, yet a smile remained on his face. In fact, he was nothing compared to the cold nature of Uther about him. Dark hair fell to his shoulders, and dark eyes glittered warmly. He was heavily stubbled, adding an essence of mischief to his look. Merlin felt a half-smile slide over his face, if he was Arthur, he certainly wouldn't trust Morgana anywhere near him. 'Anyway, Arthur, we need to speak to your father.'

* * *

Uther sat on the sofa, leaning forward enough to rest his forearms across his thick thighs, his face calm yet clearly focused on everything being said to him by the new hunters. After a moment of two, he held up a hand, silencing the man stood opposite him.

'Dead, you say?'

'I'm so sorry, Uther. We heard it on the radio on the drive here. We might be wrong, we don't know. But with what you said on the phone, and now this, we thought there must be some connection.'

'A young mother, dead in a house fire? Baby gone?' He looked up, meeting the hunter's eyes in an unwavering gaze. 'That right, Leon?'

'That's what we heard. It could be a different woman. Or a different fire. Completely unrelated to Morgana's vision…'

'No. That's too great a coincidence. If I've learnt anything on this job, it's that coincidences like that don't exist. The demon will have gone by now, along with all evidence it was ever there.' He sighed, rubbing his forehead gently. It was hardly the news he'd been wanting. He thought he could rely on these men to help, yet they were already too late. 'Anymore information for us? If not, I'm sorry for dragging you out here, you can go whenever.'

He motioned to them, as if telling them to leave, when the youngest of the men spoke. He was softly spoken, barely more than a boy. Dark, curly hair surrounded his face. Merlin could have laughed at him, that's how unbelievable he appeared as surrounded by the other men. Yet, he was just as serious. 'When you called us, we were on a hunt…'

'And I'm sorry for that.'

'No, we were hunting a demon. Out in Kansas. The demon pool's only small. Maybe if you help us track down this one, it might lead us to the one you were hunting. It might, at least, know what's happening with Morgana. That would be worth something, right?' He looked earnestly at the older hunter. 'Surely, it's worth a try?'

Uther remained silent, his gaze straight ahead. Arthur looked over at the boy, and nodded slowly. 'Kansas, you say? Very well, Mordred. Very well.'


	8. Demon Deals and Desperation

_**I hope you're all ready to learn a bit more about the Knights...**_

_**Thank you everyone for reading. Enjoy!**_

**Demon Deals and Desperation**

Merlin groaned quietly as another elbow jostled him in the ribs, and another deafening chorus of whatever song it was on the ancient radio station was belted out by the men surrounding him. He could feel small beads of sweat forming on his forehead, under his heavy, dark hair, yet it was far too cramped for any attempt to push it back from his face. He was trapped, boiling hot, with nothing to do except make his displeasure known with every jolt of the jeep.

He'd been forced into travelling with the men, the Knights he supposed he'd have to call them, on the way down to Kansas. The oldest one, Leon, had taken his place with the Pendragons, claiming they needed to talk 'business'. Gwen had stayed back with Gaius, claiming she wasn't prepared enough yet to go straight into demon-hunting, and Merlin had been practically man-handled into the back of the jeep, one guy either side and the radio blasting. They'd started off three hours ago, and it had only got more uncomfortable since then.

He was disturbed from his thoughts by a loud laugh, and Merlin looked up to catch Gwaine's mossy eyes in the car mirror, crinkled in amusement. 'You enjoying yourself, Merlin? Surrounded by four sweaty men, how could you not?'

The boy scowled, causing the giant of a man in the passenger seat beside Gwaine to laugh also, flicking off the radio as he did. 'Come on, Gwaine, leave him be. Don't think any of us are particularly impressed by your radio choice this past three hours. Where'd you think you are, 1974?'

'Percy's right, Gwaine. With your singing as well, surprised the boy hasn't gone all rugaru on us by now.' The guy sat to Merlin's right joked, then instantly froze as he seemed to realise what he'd said. 'Shit. I'm sorry, Percy, I wasn't thinking.'

'It's fine.'

'I am sorry.'

'Shut it, Ely, it's fine. I'll find that son-of-a-bitch one day, trust me, and I can't think of anything better than giving it Hell before I send it there.' He was looking forward at this point, his voice uncharacteristically cold. A quick glance in the mirror alerted him to Merlin's questioning gaze. 'What'd you want, boy?'

'Nothing, nothing. I just…'

'Rugaru, sounds made-up, it's not. Cannibal, I suppose, enjoys nothing more than a quick chomp down on human flesh,' the curly-haired boy sat on Merlin's left finally spoke, yet his eyes were resting fixed on Percy, a sympathetic glint to them. 'One got Percy's mom and brother. Left no remains.'

'It's how I got into hunting. I was reading folklore, making weapons, tracking down anything that could have been related to the bastard. I got myself arrested, testing flame-throwers in a nearby forest. Yes, I realise now how stupid that was, but I was desperate. Anyway, Gaius heard of the arrest, guessed what I was trying to do, got me out. And I joined these guys.' A half-smile passed across his lips as he mentioned his fellow Knights. 'One day, I'll find the damn thing that killed my kid brother. But, this time, I'll have back-up and I'll be prepared. It won't get away.'

There was a moment's silence after that, though whether out of respect for Percy's dead, or out of awkwardness from Percy's open honesty, it was difficult to tell. Merlin drummed his fingers against his thigh nervously, before asking quietly. 'What about the rest of you? Any reason you're hunters…?'

'By that, do you mean have any of the rest of us got a tragic, emotional story to tell that will have us all sobbing like in some desperate chick-flick?' Gwaine asked, his eyebrow raised. 'If so, then no, we don't.'

'There was a ghost at my workplace, some factory in Delaware. Uther and Arthur showed up, I somehow managed to help them out, they took me on-board.' Ely shrugged. 'God knows why I took it up, I'm stuck with these sons-of-bitches now.'

'You'd rather be in some toothpaste factory, Ely?' Gwaine joked, before sighing as he realised Merlin was staring at him still, waiting for his answer. 'You really want to know, boy? I sold my soul. I was drunk at some crappy, roadside bar. Some English bloke approached me, asked me if there was anything I wanted, I said a beer. He said he'd get me one for a kiss. I don't know why I did it, but I woke up the next day with Arthur stood over me, telling me I sold my soul for a crappy beer. That I had ten years left, and that my best bet was to go with him and his dad and try find the son-of-a-bitch who holds the contract. That was two years ago, we've found fuck all, meaning I have eight years left before some dick demon sends his dogs to come get me and drag my ass down to Hell.'

There was another pause. Yet this one was clearly of the awkward variety.

'You sold your soul to a gay demon in exchange for a beer?' Percival couldn't suppress a chuckle at the shock in the new boy's voice.

'Yes, I did,' Gwaine answered sullenly. 'And no, I can't work out which part of the story sounds stupidest either. Just that now I have eight frigging years left, and all I got out of it was a beer I don't even remember drinking.'

Merlin flicked his gaze to the only story he had not yet heard. At the feel of Merlin's eyes on his skin, Mordred shook his head frantically. 'No, I don't think…'

'How can you even be a hunter? You're so young; shouldn't you still be in school? College?'

'Funny, aren't you, Merlin? I'm only just younger than you, I bet. But fine, fine.' Mordred sighed, pushing the dark mess of curls off his sweaty forehead as he did so. 'I never wanted to be a hunter. I wasn't born into this, or anything. I got possessed by a demon a year ago. I had to live while this…_thing_ took over my body, controlled everything I did, for two months. I could do nothing while it killed my step-dad, hurt my mom, ruined my whole life. I heard people scream and beg for their lives, and then I watched as my own hands ripped them apart. The Pendragons found me, trapped me. I watched as Arthur raised a gun to my head. And then Morgana stopped him. She reminded him that I was still alive, that body was still mine. And she exorcised me, and she saved me. I owe her my life, and I'll repay her one day.'

'And then you'll get married, and have little dark-haired brats, right?' Gwaine laughed and Merlin watched as Mordred's face flushed and he stammered some form of denial.

'Why didn't you just go home though, after you were exorcised? Why did you stay?'

'Were you not listening, Merlin? I can't go home. That demon, monster, thing, killed my step-dad, tortured my mom. How could I possibly go back? Just walk through the door and say "Hey mom, no need to worry, I've been exorcised now." How do you think she'd react to that? At the very least, I'd be locked up in some mental hospice. At the most, I'd be in jail now. What would you have done? Besides, I knew what was out there, I couldn't just go back to being normal again. It wouldn't work.'

'Look, I'm sorry…'

'I have the demon's name almost burnt into my brain. And I'll find it. And I'll torture it as it tortured me. Then I'll kill it, in the most painful way I can.'

Merlin went to question him again: how? When? What? But, he slowly closed his mouth again before he spoke. The men were all silent once more, their minds all focused on more important things than him, it seemed. And Gwaine flicked the radio back on.


	9. Black Eyes All Round

_**I'm aware the last few chapters have been a bit slow. I'm hoping you find this a bit more action-packed. Enjoy.**_

**Black Eyes All Round**

Uther felt himself thrown backwards and collide heavily with the brick wall behind him. He grimaced as he felt his stomach flip then heard the crunch of his body as he hit the rough surface. Something trickled down his forehead, something that could only be blood. Yet every one of his attempts to move, to force himself forward, was only met with cruel laughter from the figure before him.

'Well, Uther Pendragon, it seems you really are stuck.'

'Go to Hell, you son of a bitch.' Uther spat, but his defiance fell only to another bout of mocking laughter.

'I've been down there very recently, thanks to you. And I'm in no rush to return to that damned place just yet. Oh, you don't recognise me, Uther? That's no surprise really; I had to find a new meat suit. I feel this one fits a bit better, wouldn't you agree?' The demon gave a slow turn, like a child showing a new dress, yet a cruel smile hung on his face. Greasy dark hair hung limp around the face, illuminating the full black eyes more clearly. 'I think he may have been a biker, it's the only explanation for all this ridiculous leather. Though, it does all feel so…wicked.'

With another flick of his hand, he slammed the hunter into the wall once again, causing him to cry out in frustrated pain. When Uther looked back again, his features were twisted into a livid fury. 'I can send you back down there, Cenred.'

'With what army, Uther?' Cenred smirked evilly. 'Oh, you mean your little hunting gang? Do you honestly think I came here alone tonight? After last time?'

A slow horror seemed to dawn on Uther's face, draining the colour. 'As if anyone would help you after your failure last time…'

'Ah, you'd think that, wouldn't you? But mention the Pendragons, and demons are surprisingly…sympathetic. Or understanding at the very least.'

* * *

'Son of a bitch.'

Arthur looked down at the scene before him in fury. He lay on his stomach in the narrow walkway in the ceiling, having been ordered up there as surveillance when they'd first scoped the warehouse out. Then he'd been left alone to watch the floor play out beneath him. He thought his father could handle him, a single demon, but this was not looking good. Especially as the Colt dug into his hip, a constant painful reminder of the normal bullets they'd had to stock it with. Nothing he could use now without simply alerting Cenred where he was.

His focus cemented on his father, he didn't notice the man approach him until he was lying beside him. 'Arthur, we're surrounded.'

'Hell, Merlin, what are you doing here?' Arthur hissed beneath his breath, tearing his gaze away to centre on the dark haired man. At the sight of his bloody face, his eyes widened. 'What happened? What got you?'

'It's not my blood, Arthur. They got Percy. Surprise attack. At least three. Gwaine and Leon managed to get them. They had to get Percy back, take him back to Gaius or hospital or something.'

'How did they get the demons? Guessing they didn't exorcise them all?'

'Something to do with bullets. I don't know. I can't remember. Gwaine came up with the idea, actually.'

'If Gwaine had the brilliant idea, why did they send you to me?' Arthur frowned. 'Can you not see the mess we're in? And you're about as useful as this empty fricking Colt, at the moment.'

'Well, I could hardly help lift Percy.'

'Where's Mordred? Morgana?'

'They went with Ely to scope the place out. Morgana's convinced there are more demons in the building. She thinks we've walked into a trap.'

'And how right she is.' Cenred turned from Uther and looked up, his black eyes meeting Arthur's with a low chuckle. With a click of his fingers, the walkway broke, the metal bending as though melted by some invisible inferno. The two men rolled from the metal mesh, falling to the stone floor 15 feet below them. Uther heard a loud crack as he watched his son land heavily and fought harder against the demon's restraint on him. Cenred's head snapped back to the older hunter as he felt the fight against his power. 'Not so fast, Uther. First, you need to watch as I finally take your son apart, piece by piece. Maybe I'll flay him first. After all, with all those extra years you condemned me to Hell, I had to pass the time doing something. Who knew torture could be so fun?'

'You could have spent the time learning not to be a dick.' Arthur stood shakily, his arm hanging limp by his side, the pain visible in his white face. 'Then again, you demons seem to have a bit of an ego problem.'

'Really, Arthur? We have the ego problem? Have you not met your family?' Cenred snarled viciously, stepping towards the blonde slowly. 'You carry the Colt with you thinking that just its presence will scare demons away. As if just you entering a building will make us give up. Your father walks around, thinking himself untouchable because he's exorcised a few of us and we should now fear you. We don't fear you. We laugh at you. Because we all know about poor, little Morgana, and we all know there's nothing you do at all to stop it.' With that, he flicked both his hands and flung both son and father into opposite walls with a long laugh.

'What do you mean? What do you know?' Uther gasped as he was forced back to collide once more with the rough brickwork, knocking the wind from him once more.

'Oh, you don't know? How sad for you, Uther. Sad for you, indeed. Especially if you don't even know why she is what she is. What it is she'll do, one day.'

'What is she?' Merlin managed to croak, his curiosity too much to keep him silent any longer, as he looked up from where he still lay on the cold ground. 'What do you mean?'

Cenred frowned and looked down, as if only just aware of Merlin's presence. 'Well, you're new. What are you: Arthur's little pet?' He walked towards the boy on the floor, the heels of his ankle boots echoing softly on the ground. After a few moments of staring at him, he smiled. The demon bent down slowly and licked his lips. 'I know you. And I know your little secret. You don't fool anyone.' His words were met with mere silence by Merlin. 'Or…maybe you do. Do these hunters know who you really are? What you are? Shall I tell them for you? Shall I…?

He stopped with a shocked gasp, raising both hands to his throat, where a long knife lay suddenly lodged. The knife seemed to crackle, sending a fiery electric seemingly throughout the demon's body. He opened his mouth in a desperate breath, before falling forward to his knees, and collapsing in front of Merlin. With his death, both Uther and Arthur fell forward from the walls onto the floor with a crash. They stood slowly, looking slowly around the room, checking for some secret assailant. The room remained silent for a few moments, before a crisp, British accent cut through the air.

'I think you're looking for me.'

The three men looked to the double doors that had been locked and bolted until, it seemed, only a few seconds ago. A slim woman appeared, and slowly entered the floor. Long golden hung in ringlets around her face, where black eyes glittered wickedly. They continued to stare at her, increasing horror painted on their faces, and she smirked proudly. 'My name is Morgause.'


	10. Darkness Descends

_**I've had a few queries on how the characterisation works in this fic, regarding the Supernatural/Merlin crossover. Basically, some characters crossover really well (hopefully you see Arthur like Dean, Uther like John, Morgana maybe as a Sam?) Others, like Merlin or Gwen, are just new characters. They don't really correlate with any Supernatural characters but hopefully they still fit ok in the story? That's the aim, anyway.**_

_**This chapter got slightly more dark than I expected, but I hope you still enjoy.**_

**Darkness Descends**

The hunters were still stood in horror as a sudden shot rang out in the warehouse, and Morgause stumbled backwards as a bullet hit her shoulder. It was followed swiftly by another to her stomach and the pounding of running feet across the floor. Merlin looked up from the cold floor as he watched Ely run towards them from the opposite end of the room.

'Sir, get away. I've got control of the demon. Get out.' He was fiddling with his gun as he ran and fired it once more, shooting another bullet into the woman's body.

She looked down coolly as it hit her chest, spilling blood down her white shirt. With a roll of her eyes, she snarled, 'I just saved your bloody lives, and this is my reward? Racist.'

Morgause twisted her hand menacingly and Merlin watched as the hunter's head twisted around with a harsh snap, and he fell to the floor dead.

'Ely!' More rapid footsteps as Mordred and Morgana entered the chaotic floor, and Mordred ran to his dead friend's side. He stopped suddenly, and doubled over, coughing up clumps of blood as Morgause glared at him angrily. He fell to his knees heavily, vomiting red as the demon continued to focus on him.

The snap of a gun barrel diverted the demon from Mordred's increasingly weak figure to see Morgana approaching her slowly, gun raised in her shaking hand. Morgause flicked her eyes back to those of her meat-suit, deep chestnut to meet Morgana's peridot, noting a flicker of something across the woman's face as she did so. She turned from Morgana to meet Uther's glare with another cruel smirk. 'You hunters know your bullets won't affect me, right?'

'Our bullets won't, but this will.'

She turned quickly at the unexpected voice as Merlin plunged the knife previously lodged in Cenred's throat into her calf. There was no electric crackling as there had been with him, yet she collapsed to the ground in agony, her hands flying to the knife now residing in her leg. As the demon gripped the wound, Uther motioned to Arthur animatedly, who pulled a burlap bag from his jacket pocket and thrust it over the woman's head. A devil's trap had been harshly painted on the front, forcing the demon to stay motionless as long as it rested over her head. Merlin couldn't help but smile at the ingenious notion behind it.

'Good job, Merlin.' Arthur frowned, clearly impressed yet shocked, and clapped Merlin hard on his shoulder, before looking back at the figure on the floor. 'Shall we kill her now? Ely's revenge?'

'No. We need to take her back to Gaius; she must have had something to do with all this. She'll at least know something. Then, she can pay for death of Ely.' Uther spat at her feet. 'Someone knock her out.'

Morgana's eyes widened as Arthur and Mordred approached the woman. 'No! Arthur, get away from her. She can't go anywhere, isn't that enough?'

'And how will we get her back if she's conscious?'

'Well, how did you get here, because that should help?' From beneath the bag, Morgause's voice was vaguely muffled, yet still enough to dig at Arthur. 'Sit me in your buddy's seat; he's hardly going to be needing it. Though with you hunters and your obsession with dead bodies…'

'Shut it, black-eyed bitch.'

'Does calling every woman you meet a bitch help you, Pendragon? Is your masculinity really that threatened by any woman who isn't some sort of housewife or porn star?'

The blonde snarled and raised his foot, going to kick the demon on the floor, before Morgana grabbed his arm angrily. 'Leave her, Arthur. How much harm can she really do? She's had the opportunity to kill us all, and she hasn't. She can just sit in the back like anyone else.'

'I just saved your miserable arses, I deserve at least that. Bastards.'

* * *

Arthur growled furiously and threw another glass of holy water over the blonde woman, who sat strapped into a wooden chair in the middle of the floor. She fought madly against both her bonds and the restraint of the devil's trap on the ceiling above her head. She hissed as smoke rose from her skin when the water made contact.

'Feeling good about yourself yet, Pendragon?' She snapped. 'All this torture making you feel like a man? Like your daddy?'

'What were you doing in that warehouse?' Arthur said, attempting to ignore her and remain calm, yet he felt his voice getting louder with every question. He'd been alone in the room with her for over an hour now, yet no amount of holy water, or slice with her blade, seemed to be making a difference. 'Why were you there? Who sent you there? Why did you kill Cenred?'

'You won't accept saving your miserable lives as a reason?' Morgause cocked her head, narrowing her black eyes. 'No, you arrogant Pendragons, you just can't look past the 'demon' thing, can you? Can't accept that maybe we're not all the same?'

'You killed a man. A good hunter. A friend.'

'Because when someone's shooting at you, I'm sure you don't mind. In fact, I'm sure you're just jumping into bed with them…'

Another glass of holy water caused her to scream unexpectedly. 'I could just exorcise you, bitch.'

'Again with the bitch comment.' Morgause snapped back, before a knowing smile passed across her face. 'Besides, you can't exorcise me. You want information. You think I possess said information. You might be right. But I won't tell you.' This time, he couldn't resist a sharp backhand that had her laughing loudly, taunting him. 'Ooh, Pendragon, that almost hurt. Suppose me protesting my femininity to you wouldn't calm you, would it? Not if you're anything like daddy, he sure loved killing your ickle mommy…'

Another backhand that had her spitting blood this time. Arthur put both hands on the arms of her chair, and leant in menacingly. 'Don't you dare mention her. Don't you dare. You know nothing.'

'Oh.' Morgause frowned as if in genuine shock. 'You mean he hasn't told you? Did he tell you…? No. You didn't believe that, surely?' One look at the confusion painted on the man's face had her laughing once more. 'Oh, you really did? You really believe she was killed by the demon who possessed her?'

'She was. One of you killed her, you black-eyed sons of bitches.'

'Oh yes, because we just love killing our own meat-suits, don't we? We just wander around possessing people and then kill them. How many demons have you met who've done that, Pendragon? Maybe none?'

'No…'

'Your precious daddy killed her. He took a great big knife and hacked at her, over and over and over. Of course, the demon left her as soon as he made the first blow, but he still continued. In fact, he kept at it until he'd cut his own wife's head from her body and his hands were covered in her blood…'

Arthur was suddenly by her side, the knife against her cheek, his hot breath at her ear. 'You say one more word, and I kill you. In fact, maybe I will do anyway. Like you said, you won't tell us anything. What's to stop me?'

He expected her to beg, he wanted to hear her sob, yet she merely turned her head, and grinned wickedly before laughing mockingly. She continued, getting louder and louder until he threw the knife and stormed from the room, slamming the wooden door behind him yet unable to block her cruel taunts from his ears.

* * *

She didn't know how long it had been, it could have been minutes, or hours, or days. Not that it really mattered. For now she was watching the door open, edging slowly, almost hesitantly, and the dark-haired woman was entering the room, wide eyes focused on the blonde demon. As their eyes met once more, Morgause smiled.

'I've been waiting for you, Morgana.'


	11. Lies and Lieutenants

**Lies and Lieutenants**

He was woken by hands on his shoulders, shaking him, fingers digging into his skin enough to certainly leave a bruise later.

'Merlin. Merlin.'

With a grimace, he opened one eye sleepily. The sight of the Angel knelt beside him as he slept on the hard floor was enough to shock him into being fully awake. 'Kilgarrah?'

'You need to get up, Merlin. Morgana has betrayed you. You have to go. Now. You need to go now; you're all in danger…'

He was cut off as a piercing scream resounded through the walls. Merlin sat up, eyes wide as he glanced around the room at a rapid pace, as if looking for answers. On the other side of the room, he watched Gwaine wake with a start from his sleep on the camp bed. He turned back to the Angel, yet the light sound of a flutter let him know he'd already gone.

'Merlin.' Gwaine was sat up as well now, pushing his hair off his concerned face. 'Who was that? Tell me it wasn't Morgana…'

* * *

'Gwen, what did you do? What have you done?' Uther had the girl by her shoulders, desperately trying to be gentle yet every passing second caused his grip to get tighter. 'Where's Morgana?'

'She asked…to go in…to see Morgause. She said…you had told her to.' She sobbed, struggling in Uther's grasp with every tighten of his fingers. At her struggling, he let her go and she seemed to fall into Arthur's arms beside his father. 'Then she locked the door. Arthur, I'm sorry.'

'And you thought that was fine in the middle of the fricking night? And alone? You were on watch, Gwen, we trusted you to both not let her out, or let anyone in when they shouldn't be.' Uther snapped, his face distorted in pure rage, yet Gwen refused to look at him, burying her face in Arthur's chest. Awkwardly, the blonde placed one arm around her, patting her shoulder. His other arm was in an amateur bandage by his side.

'Arthur, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…'

'Gwen, you weren't to know. What else did she say?' He looked over at Gaius behind them, who stood with the other men in the basement outside the room they'd kept the demon in. 'Can we break the door down? Leon, Gwaine, Mordred, come on. We have no idea what's going on in there…'

At that moment, the door flung open, and the dark-haired woman walked out. For a second, just a second, Merlin had thought he'd seen a smirk pass across her pale face but that was impossible, for at the sight of the other hunters, she broke down in tears.

'Morgana?' Arthur stepped forward slowly, pushing Gwen gently towards Merlin, as if he was an adequate replacement for the hunter. But all Arthur's attention was now on the woman before him. 'Morgana, are you alright?'

'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Arthur.' She didn't approach them any further, as if some part of her wanted to retain some dignity unlike Gwen, who was now silently sobbing in Merlin's arms. Morgana turned her gaze to Uther. 'Uther, Sir, I'm so sorry. I don't know what I've done. I don't know…'

'Morgana, you haven't called me 'Sir' in over five years now…' He spoke slowly, hesitantly. Arthur frowned, and then it slowly dawned on him what his father was talking about. The crying, the calling him 'Sir': Arthur silently drew the knife from his pocket, his eyes never leaving Morgana. Behind him, he heard a soft rustle as the Knights also seemed to click to Uther's train of thought and also began drawing whatever weapons they had on their person.

'No, I know. But you needn't be suspicious. I've been wrong; I haven't given you the respect you deserve, Sir. It is thanks to you that we are all still alive. It is your knowledge and your instincts that have protected us all these years. I know this now.'

'How, Morgana?' Uther said softly, his hand reaching slowly to his back pocket, where he'd kept a tiny vial of holy water, yet enough to do some serious damage could he get her to drink it…

'Because I've put us all in danger.'

'What?' Morgana watched, her heart pounding, as all eyes on her widened then narrowed to a glare. Arthur's, seemingly, most of all. 'Morgana, what have you done?'

'I'm. I'm...sorry. So sorry. I never meant for this. For any of this.' She'd only just managed to stop crying, when her eyes began to well up once more. 'After you came out of the room, and you started ranting about what she'd said, I just wanted to talk to her. You and your father were arguing so much, I just wanted to make her pay, I swear. But I knew I'd never be allowed, I'm not interrogation material for demons or whatever, so I snuck down here last night. Don't blame Gwen, I did lie to her, and you can't punish her for believing someone she trusts.'

She stopped speaking, as if waiting for something. After a moment, Arthur sighed and turned to Gwen behind him. 'Ok. Gwen, I'm sorry, I overreacted and upset you. Forgive me. Better?'

'I started questioning the demon, Morgause. I had holy water, I took the demon knife from where you left it in the kitchen, Arthur, I was prepared. But the minute she started talking, I just couldn't handle it. Lie after lie. She knew things, Sir. She said she knew things about my mother's death, about the accident that killed my father. Then she started saying other things, threats and promises and I didn't know what to do.' She seemed to be shaking when she met Uther's icy stare. 'I killed her, Sir. I couldn't help it. The knife seemed to just leave my hand and I just couldn't stop it. I'm sorry.'

'Morgana, I don't see the danger…'

'She said she had soldiers. She was some sort of Hell Lieutenant, I think. She said she had soldiers who would come for us. They know where we are. They'll find us. We can't stay here.'

'We're not leaving my house open for a bunch of son of a bitch demons to attack.'

'Sorry, Gaius, but we have no other choice. Not now.' Uther placed his hands lightly on Morgana's shoulders, the closest he'd ever come to some form of comforting embrace. 'Morgana, where's the body? They can't find the body. We need to burn it and bury it somewhere.'

'It's still in there…'

'Leon, Gwaine, go bury the body.'

'No!' Morgana exclaimed, before clasping a hand to her mouth in shock. At Uther's questioning stare, she said quietly, 'I just mean that I did this, I ought to bury the body. Mordred can help me. We'll get it done just as quickly…'

'What about me?' Arthur asked. 'Can't I help?'

'Not with your arm like that.' Uther frowned once more as he stared at the haphazard bandaging of his son's arm. 'I'm sorry, Gaius, but he needs professional treatment for this at least. Merlin, drive Arthur to the hospital. Stay with him until he's treated. Mordred, help Morgana, be quick about it. Gwaine, go get Percy from upstairs, be careful with him. Then, go with Leon and Gwen. Go find a motel or something. Nowhere close. We do not need a demon attack right now. Gaius, we need to prepare the house. Do you know anything on this 'Hell Army'?'

'Nothing. First I've ever heard the concept. Thought all demons were just after themselves.'

'Yeah, same. Get reading then. We need every little scrap of information we can get.'


	12. Secrets and Shirts

**Secrets and Shirts**

The blonde scowled as he sat in the hospital bed, his arm still hanging limply, as he watched the hospital staff walk past the windows into the corridor. He could feel the cold hospital sheets beneath him, even more so thanks to the painfully embarrassing hospital gown he'd been forced to change into. From across the room, he could feel Merlin's eyes boring into him, and he turned to see a sly grin on the man's face.

'Merlin, what the Hell are you grinning at?'

'You can't see yourself right now.' Merlin laughed, causing Arthur to shift uncomfortably in the foreign garment.

'Very funny, Merlin.' Arthur looked over at the door once more. 'How long are they going to be? It's just an arm, not heart surgery.'

'Are you scared of hospitals, Arthur?' Merlin asked, as he studied the blonde's face closer. 'You are, aren't you? And I'm the chicken?'

'People die in these places, Merlin. Do you really expect me to be comfortable?'

'You kill people!'

'Merlin!' Arthur motioned to the open door with a slight cock of his head. Merlin approached the bed and sat in the chair beside the hunter as he hissed, 'you do realise the door is wide open, right? You do have a brain? And besides, I don't kill people, I hunt monsters. There is a difference.'

'Ely died only two days ago, Arthur. Morgana killed a poor woman as well as that demon. They are people. Not monsters. And they died because of your hunting.'

'If you have nothing useful to say, Merlin, then keep your trap shut.' Arthur's face, which had previously been reasonably relaxed, was suddenly stony, his glare fierce. 'In fact, maybe you should leave. Go get a coffee. Or, even better, get a doctor so we can leave this son-of-a-bitch place.'

'Fine.'

* * *

Merlin stood; foot tapping impatiently on the floor as he watched the stream of hot water filled his cheap plastic cup in the coffee machine. After a minute or so, it slowed down and he took the steaming cup carefully.

'Merlin.'

The cup slipped from his grasp as he felt his heart leap at the sudden voice behind him. He watched in horror as the boiling liquid fell down his front, soaking his shirt and the cup fell to the floor, spilling more across the previously scrubbed surface. Slowly, trying his hardest not to scream, Merlin turned to meet the gaze of the Angel behind him.

'Kilgarrah, get out of the way.' He charged down the corridor, searching desperately for any sign of a toilet as he tried to hold the scorching shirt away from his chest. He heard the hurried footsteps of the Angel following him and he sighed angrily.

'Merlin. Merlin, slow down. We need to talk. You didn't listen to me. You're in danger.'

He sighed again as he watched passing nurses glancing at him confused as Kilgarrah continued to follow him, shouting him as Merlin only walked faster. Kilgarrah sped up, trying to catch up with the dark-haired man, ignoring him for some unknown reason. Frowning, he followed him into the room he entered, to be greeting with the sight of Merlin practically ripping off his shirt angrily.

'Kilgarrah, pass me your shirt.'

'I don't understand…'

'You 'magically' appearing behind me, Kilgarrah? Me dropping the boiling hot coffee? You don't think they might have been related at all?' Merlin stood bare-chested awkwardly, holding the dripping clothing out to the Angel. 'Take it. Hand me yours. I'm not walking around covered in coffee, not when you caused it.'

'But…'

'You can't keep just showing up, Kilgarrah. People do kinda notice when a man randomly appears and disappears at a moment's notice. Not to mention you scare me out of my skin every time. What are you doing here, anyway? I didn't call you.'

'I know. I came here to see you. To warn you.'

'If this about the Pendragons…

'Morgana.'

'What did you mean about her? She's betrayed who? She hasn't betrayed anyone. Ok, she killed that demon, but that's hardly a betrayal. It's one less demon, that's a good thing no matter how you look at it. Especially a Hell Lieutenant, killing one of those has got get you some serious brownie points in Heaven.' Merlin took the shirt that Kilgarrah held out to him and began putting it on, as Kilgarrah took the soaking one in his hand with a slight look of disgust on his face. 'So, come on, Kilgarrah? What did you mean?'

'She's dangerous, Merlin, you've got to go…'

'What do you have so against her? What's she done?'

'Merlin, you know I can't…'

'If you can't tell me, I'm going to presume you're just lying for some reason. I don't know why. She turn you down for Angel protection or something?'

'There's no such thing as Angel protection…' Kilgarrah stammered as Merlin rolled his eyes, and turned to the mirror, tugging at the shirt that was almost big enough to dwarf him. With a sigh, Kilgarrah said defeated, 'she didn't kill the demon, Merlin. Morgause lives, with Morgana's help. They are now allied against you all.'

Merlin frowned. 'You lie. She wouldn't do that. This is her family. We are her family, why would she suddenly turn on us with some demon army bitch?'

'There's no such thing as a Hell Lieutenant, Merlin. There's no Hell army. She made up that story to get rid of you all, so none of you would find Morgause, or realise she had no body to bury.'

'You're lying…'

'Why would I lie, Merlin? I'm only ever here to help you. I come when you call. I answer your questions. I've now even given you my shirt, why would I do that if I was going to lie to you?'

'You don't like her, that's why.' Merlin swept past the Angel, exiting the toilets and heading back up the corridor to Arthur's room. 'You sound like you'd do anything to get rid of her, or keep me away from her.'

'Because she's dangerous, Merlin.'

'Why?'

'I can't tell you anything more, Merlin.' The Angel could feel his temper building slowly as Merlin continued to walk away from him. 'But if you refuse to believe me about her change in allegiance, why don't you see for yourself? Dig up the body.'

'Maybe I have more loyalty…' Merlin began speaking only to feel himself pulled backwards, and the Angel held him hard against the wall, their faces inches from each other. 'Kilgarrah?'

'Heaven gave me one job, Merlin. That job is to look after you, and I'm not going to fail my orders because you won't listen to me. Morgana is dangerous. The Pendragons are dangerous. Leave them. I don't care where you go or what you do, just leave them all behind. I will not be held responsible for your death.'

'Anyone would think you care.'

'I will not Fall because of you, Merlin. And you better make sure of that.' At that moment, Kilgarrah turned as he heard footsteps approaching them both, and he released Merlin from his tight grip. As if broken from his rage, he suddenly looked down, guilt apparent on his face. 'I'm sorry, Merlin. I didn't mean to get so aggressive. I just…'

'Yeah, I know. You can't fail or Heaven will throw you out and all that crap. I will not leave the Pendragons for you, Kilgarrah, I can't. They've kept me safe. How can I possibly return to any sort of normality now I know what's out there?'

'Merlin…'

'I'm not listening anymore.' He turned away from the Angel, desperately attempting to end the circular debate. He was about to enter Arthur's room when he smiled suddenly. 'You say you want to help, Kilgarrah? I have a job for you.'

* * *

'I can't believe it. We spent hours in that place for them to turn around and say there's absolutely nothing wrong with my arm.' Arthur shook his head in outrage, looking over at Merlin as he drove them back from the hospital, whose gaze lay firmly on the road before them. 'That doesn't even make sense. It was agony. Gaius was sure it was broken. How can it just be ok?'

'I have no idea, Arthur.' Merlin shrugged, desperately attempting to conceal a smirk. 'Gaius is old, he could have been mistaken. And there is a bruise, maybe that caused all your pain?'

'Don't try be some smartass.' He frowned, before giving a knowing smile. 'Anyway, Merlin, who was that doctor you brought in? You know the one, the dark haired, stubbled one, wearing your shirt…'

'He spilt coffee on me; he gave me his shirt to wear.'

'Yeah, we'll go with that…'

* * *

It was nearing sunrise rather than sunset by the time the rest of the house had fallen asleep. Outside, the very first birds had begun to awaken, chirping lightly. Inside, however, Merlin lay fully awake, still dressed as before, his mind racing. He'd tried to ignore all the Angel's warnings, yet the more he tried, the faster they whirled around in his head. Morgana had met them from the car, her face fully of worry, fussing over Arthur, yet Merlin saw nothing but her tiny gestures. The coldness of her eyes. The nervous glances around. The knowing looks she seemed to share with Mordred. And the more he thought about it, the more restless he became until he realised he'd stayed up all night, waited for everyone to sleep, and he knew exactly what he needed to do.

The shovel was cool in his hands and a slight chill caused him to shiver as he stood outside, looking down on the dirt pile that signified Morgause's apparent grave. He'd already worked out he had three, maybe four hours, in which to work. Enough time to dig it up. To work out the truth. If Kilgarrah was right, that's all that would matter. He'd have proof of Morgana's betrayal. If he was wrong, Morgana would be innocent, and he'd simply look paranoid. Merlin would be left with no choice, he'd have to leave. It was a risk. But the more he thought it over; it was a risk that he needed to take.

He braced himself, shovel in position, when he was suddenly blinded by a flashlight from the porch.

'Merlin, what the Hell do you think you're doing?'


	13. Merlin's Story

_**Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I hope this chapter makes up for that. Enjoy.**_

**Merlin's Story**

Gaius. _Shit Shit_. What was he doing still awake? Had he heard him? Surely he couldn't have woken everyone; he had been as silent as he possibly could. The shovel dropped from his hand in alarm, landing with a soft thud on the ground. He could run. Though they'd catch him eventually._ Shit_. Where was Kilgarrah when he was actually needed?

'I'm speaking to you, boy.' He'd hobbled across to him now, the distance rapidly closing as he approached. Merlin was still stood frozen. 'What the Hell are you doing?'

'Gaius, I…'

'What are you? Some demon thinking you can dig up your little buddy here? Cause she's long dead now…'

'I'm no demon, Gaius, you've tested me already.'

'What then? I ain't heard of no such monster as needs dead demons to snack on, cause that is what you're doing, right? Digging up the blonde bitch? You haven't come out here for some late night gardening, I presume?' Merlin needed him to stop talking; just long enough for him to explain himself, but the old man was furious by now. 'But, if you ain't some monster, what are you then? Or are you just some punk-ass kid who thought hunting would be a good use of your time?'

'I've been with you all for months. You know I'm not a monster, or some useless kid.'

'I might know you're not a monster, I don't know anything about you not being useless. Just because Arthur's quite taken with you, don't mean you're some sort of supreme hunter now. What do you want with this body, anyhow? Hunting not enough for you now, thought you'd try necromancy as well?'

'Gaius, there's no body here. Morgana lied to you. She lied to all of us. She didn't kill that demon.'

'What do you think I am, some sort of idiot? She killed that damn demon and buried it…

'No, she didn't. I know she didn't.' This was all wasting valuable time. Merlin was becoming increasingly aware of the very narrow window he had to dig this grave up. 'Look, you've got to trust me and let me dig it up. Then, you can see Morgana for all she's worth.'

'You really think I'm going to trust you, some pathetic boy who happened to get lucky in killing a vamp and now considers himself a hunter, over Morgana, who I have seen grow up and who I know to be one of the best hunters, and people, I've met? What you heard, anyway, to suddenly be suspicious of her? Or are you just jealous?'

'Someone told me…'

'Someone?'

Merlin hesitated before he spoke. He knew he'd sound crazy. He knew he already sounded crazy. But, if that's what it took for Gaius to believe him, it would have to do. 'An Angel. Kilgarrah.'

'You think I was born yesterday? Angels don't exist. No hunter's ever seen one. They're just bible stories to scare the God-fearing.'

'You're wrong. They exist. I've seen one, and spoken to him. Do it often, actually. He told me about this body. He told me all about demons long before I met you. I think I know what's happening to Morgana. It…happened to me, too.'

'Who are you, boy?'

He'd been hoping to keep everything a secret. All of it. But the longer he stared into the old man's face, his eyes narrow in open suspicion, the more he realised he needed to tell him everything if he wanted his trust. 'It's a long…story, I guess. As ridiculous as that sounds. It begins with my parents. My mom was born and raised in some small-ass town in Texas. She was well liked, quite popular, but no drive, no ambition. She was quite happy to settle, get married, have kids, live the pretty American Dream life just as her mom had done before her.'

'She met my father when he was travelling through the town with his regiment. He was an army officer, already served a few years. He was everything she wanted. He was good-looking, charming, a few years older but that only meant he was at the age ready to settle down. He quickly swept her off her feet. The town was small though, and heavily religious, so news travelled fast and everyone was quick to judge. My mom was a good person, she'd been brought up with strong Christian morals, and she didn't like the reputation that was beginning to follow her. Neither did my father. After only six months of them knowing each other, they were married in a large, Church wedding. White dress, flowers, doves, the works. Everyone thought they'd be happy.'

'But, it went wrong pretty quick. My father was a liar, and a cheat. Despite the marriage, he continued to roam as a free man; chasing skirt like a fox chases rabbits. Within two months of their marriage, he was dismissed from the army, something about a lack of respect for his senior officers. He didn't bother to find another job; he stayed at home and drank. Or he went out and drank. Either way, he became a foul drunk in very little time. He turned possessive and paranoid, cutting off mom's social interactions one by one. Then he got violent. He'd paint mom black, blue and red and then walk out in the town like a respected gentleman. No-one knew the extent of it all. Or, at least mom didn't think anyone knew.'

'About a year and a half into the marriage, she got a knock on the door one evening while he was out. It was a young woman, looked like some sort of lawyer or accountant, apparently. She said she knew about my father, she knew what he'd been doing to mom. She denied it all, until the woman started detailing events. The women he'd brought home. The abuse he'd hurled. The bones he'd nearly broken. She said she could take care of it all, make it all go away, if that's what mom wanted. It would be for a price, she said, but one so minute that it would never really impact on her life.' Merlin missed out the part about the woman's eyes being bright yellow all the time she spoke. Gaius would never believe that. 'My father's body was found three days later, face down in a river. Mom thought she was free from everything, she thought she could move on from the past events. Only a month afterwards though, she discovered she was pregnant. Seven months later, I was born.'

'I don't get what any of this has to do with Morgana...' Gaius tried to interrupt, but the boy merely shook his head.

'Mom tried to bring me up normally. We never moved from the neighbourhood, and though she never told me about my father, I noticed the looks of sympathy from when I was a young child. I don't know if it was the looks, or something else, that always made me feel different.'

'What about the deal? The woman?'

'It all started when I was 18. It began with dreams. I'd wake in the night screaming, my dreams full of death. I thought nothing of it, until they started coming true. I would see articles in the paper, hear about them from neighbours, and I would have dreamt the exact details a night, or two nights before. I kept them to myself; I thought I was just going crazy. Sleep deprivation, or some sort of personality disorder. But things only got worse. I found myself being able to do things. Crazy things. I could concentrate on an object and move it with my mind. Only slightly at first, then the harder I concentrated, the more I could move things. But people had begun to notice. My mom, especially. And she knew what was happening to me. Then, one night, I was walking home from work and I was confronted by a group of guys in an alley. They tried to rough me up, take my cell phone and wallet, the usual. But, I didn't let them. Behind my eyes, I felt my blood boil, and one of the guys just flew back into the wall. He smacked his head, and just landed flat. I didn't check a pulse, I just ran. Straight home. I didn't stop once.'

'Mom wasn't the only person waiting home for me that night. There was a man, also. He said his name was Kilgarrah, and he was an Angel of the Lord. He told me the woman who had made the deal with my mom before was a demon, who went by the name of Azazel. Azazel had been going round, making deals that seemingly had no consequences, but were only realised years later, when people began to change. Kilgarrah, and the other Angels, believed Azazel was making an army, part-human, part-demon. They were trying to track down every child affected, every deal made, and assign an Angel to prevent Azazel making use of her soldiers. Kilgarrah was to be my Angel. And that's when mom asked me to leave Texas.'

There was silence for a few moments while the old man continued to stare at Merlin, before whispering, 'You can't expect me to believe that…?'

'I don't expect you to believe anything, but you asked for the truth. That was mine.'

'Part-demon? That's not even possible. No human can be made part-demon.'

'It's difficult. But it is possible.' Merlin took a deep breath for speaking again, knowing how the next sentence would sound to an outsider. 'It requires ingestion of demon blood at a young age. That's the only way.'

'You drank demon blood? Is that what you're saying?' Gaius stood back, an eyebrow raised quizzically. 'What sort of an idiot does that?'

'I was fed demon blood, as a baby. Only six months old. There was no choice in the matter.'

Another silence. 'And you're saying this is what's happening to Morgana?'

'I don't know. Maybe. Her mother died in a fire when Morgana was only six months old, which is the right age for her if she was killed by Azazel while trying to turn Morgana. Now, she is plagued by nightmares and visions, just as I was. And now an Angel tells me that Morgana has allied with a demon, maybe an ally of the demon, or even the same one, who killed her mother. Why would an Angel lie about that? Why would I?' He bent down, retrieving the shovel he'd dropped before and held out the end to the old hunter. 'The only way to answer that is to dig up this grave.'

Gaius took the end of the shovel slowly, feeling the thoughts race around his mind clearer than they had done in a while. He wasn't going to admit it to the boy stood in front of him, but he'd had his suspicions of Morgana from the moment she'd spun that story about killing Morgause. He knew Morgana. She wasn't so easily spooked as to kill a demon without consulting anyone. Nor was she stupid enough to go in alone in the first place. And having only Mordred help bury the body only added to Gaius' fear. This needed doing. He'd take on Uther in the morning, should he prove wrong. But the more he thought, the more he realised Merlin could be right.

'Well, boy, let's dig up this body…' He stopped suddenly at the sound of a high scream from inside his house. Merlin's head turned quick at the sound, his ears pricked up almost animalistically.

'Morgana.'


End file.
